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Trump Travels to Qatar for his Second Stop of the Middle East Tour; Cassie Ventura Testifies in Sean Diddy Combs' Trial; MLB Reinstates Two Deceased Players, Eligible for Baseball Hall of Fame. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 14, 2025 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

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UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

The second day of Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East is now underway. And in the hour ahead, he is set to attend a session of the Gulf Cooperation Council before travelling to his next stop, Doha in Qatar.

The meeting is taking place in Riyadh, where Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rolled out a lavish royal welcome for the U.S. President on the first major international trip of his second term. And we are looking at live pictures here.

Donald Trump is expected to informally greet Syria's President one day after announcing to lift sanctions on Syria in a major change in U.S. foreign policy. He has also issued a stark message to Iran amid the ongoing nuclear talks with the U.S., saying it's time for Tehran to choose how it wants to proceed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: If Iran's leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

But with that said, Iran can have a much brighter future. The choice is theirs to make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So let's go to CNN's Becky Anderson, who is in Doha, Qatar, for more on President Trump's visit. Becky, what is in store for today? BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've just arrived here in Doha from

Riyadh, where we were broadcasting over the past 36 hours. And I can report that there have been some big wins for both sides. And when I talk about both sides, I'm talking about Donald Trump here and his administration, and I'm talking about this region.

What we are expecting to see first, and this is very important at this GCC summit that is about to begin momentarily, is an image of Donald Trump with the new Syrian president. That is a really big deal. It's a big win for the Syrian people in the first instance, because what Donald Trump announced yesterday in Riyadh in a keynote speech was that the U.S. will be lifting the sanctions on Syria.

Now, what happens in Syria doesn't stay in Syria. And for these Gulf nations, which are part of this three-leg trip, regional stability is absolutely paramount in Riyadh, in Doha, and in the UAE, where the president will go next.

Regional stability is really the name of the game these days. They have huge economic ambitions in this region, but none of this will work should we continue to see the sort of regional conflict that we have seen over years now.

So the fact that the U.S. is lifting sanctions on Syria and the fact that we are very likely to see Donald Trump with the Syrian president, we do know, sources tell me, that he has already met with the Syrian president this morning for, quote, "a hello and a cup of tea," as described by one senior source to me.

The lifting of these sanctions, which is what this sort of optics moment is sort of showing, is the following. The Syrian economy is in catastrophic state as far as its economy is concerned. It needs something like $400 billion in support to get the economy back on track.

And when I talk about getting the economy back on track, I'm literally talking about paying the wages of civil servants, paying the wages of the security services and the military, getting investment back into agriculture, into energy, for example, two really -- and textiles -- three really big pillars for a Syrian economy if it is going to work going forward.

[03:04:53]

The lifting of these sanctions has come off the back of significant pressure from Saudi Arabia and very specifically the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the leadership here in Qatar, who just last month were given waivers on these U.S. sanctions on Syria so that they could pay something like $29 million monthly for civil servant wages.

I cannot underscore just how important this part of the Donald Trump in the Gulf story is and you could argue that what we are potentially seeing here is the turning of the page in U.S. policy towards the Middle East. Now look, there is an awful lot more to do. Trump's team currently in negotiation with Iran on a nuclear deal. Gaza, a conflict that continues. People dying as we speak there. So

what we might hear, if anything, from the U.S. President on Gaza will be incredibly important.

He has already offered Iran in the speech that our viewers just heard at the top of this show an opportunity but he says the time to choose is now and he offered a stark warning that should Iran not choose a path of peace at this point, then military action it seems is likely by the U.S. President.

Amr Hamzawy is an expert on the region. I want to start with you Amir talking about the enormity or significance of -- and let's call it the enormity of this decision by the U.S. President to raise these sanctions on Syria. Your thoughts?

AMR HAMZAWY, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM: It's hugely significant for different reasons. One, it's an extremely important move forward for the Syrian people in suffering times. Syria has been suffering economically since 2011.

The country is in full destruction and citizens as well as private sector, businesses, state agencies need the sanctions lifted.

It's hugely important because it's a huge political sign for the Syrian government as well. Once again, doubts have been circulating wide in the U.S. regarding the new Syrian leaders. So it's a sign of trust that the U.S. is extending to the new Syrian government and it's a sign of trust that has been mediated by a proactive Gulf policy.

And here comes the third point which I would like to draw attention to. The fact that it was announced in Riyadh and it was as a U.S. positive decision following a request from MBS, from the Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia, stands for the fact that the Gulf countries have recalibrated their approach to Syria away from standing on the sidelines, away from waiting to see what will happen next and taking a proactive position by the Saudis, by the Qataris, to a lesser extent by the Emiratis. And that's what the U.S. is working with as of now.

ANDERSON: This trip by the U.S. President, and let's remind our viewers he is still in Riyadh at this point attending the U.S. Gulf Summit where he will meet with leadership from the entire GCC. This trip was sort of pushed as, or flagged as, as it were, a pivotal opportunity to reimagine what U.S.-Gulf relations look like in a new era. Donald Trump looking to power his America First policy by cutting deals across this region in business and investment.

But these three nations that he is coming to, Riyadh, Doha and Qatar, also want to see the U.S., as you rightly pointed out, getting involved in the security of this region, being an indispensable partner for the Gulf in what happens around this region. Do you, at this point, see some serious optimism in the steps that the U.S. President has already made, and what might we expect next?

HAMZAWY: It's probably too early to judge, Becky, for two reasons.

[03:10:00] One, we still have a big elephant in the room, which is Gaza and the Gaza situation that continues to be, from a humanitarian perspective, a catastrophe that continues to lack any political move or push in the right direction.

The Israeli government continues to block any return to a ceasefire agreement. The war is still raging. We're far away from improving or even addressing the humanitarian situation or from getting started on a reconstruction plan.

And Gaza is the biggest conflict in the region right now, and we cannot get around regional security without addressing it and addressing the situation in the West Bank.

Where does the U.S., where does the Trump administration stand on Gaza, stand on Palestine, Israel issues? It's not clear. Are they going to push for peacemaking in the region? Is the U.S. going to be invested in a serious push for peacemaking in the region? It remains to be seen.

I'm certainly hopeful. I'm hoping that they will get the parties once again to negotiate via Qatari mediation, Egyptian mediation. But it's important to address Gaza.

Secondly, the U.S. scored a big success. In fact, the military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen resulted in the Houthis committing to no attacks on commercial vessels or military vessels in the Red Sea, restoring some needed security for the Red Sea, where different Arab countries and Middle Eastern countries have been impacted. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, of course, was a source canal in its revenue. So this is a good success that the U.S. administration has managed to achieve.

With regard to security in the Gulf, here the big elephant in the room is the situation with Iran. Rounds of negotiations are happening. Certainly there are Gulf hopes that an agreement of sorts will happen, that a military action against Iran can be averted.

That really goes in the direction of Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Gulf interests in general. Once again, I'm highlighting the three countries President Trump is visiting. But this too remains to be seen. So backing in general, it's too early to judge, but there's some reason for optimism.

ANDERSON: Yes. And I'm going to leave it there for the time being, Amr. It's very good to have you.

Rosie, I just want to point out that in his speech yesterday at the investment summit, after sort of taking the applause for the agreements and memorandums of understanding that the White House says stack to the tune of some $600 billion of Saudi money invested in the U.S. economy,

Donald Trump did address the issue of normalization. Now, let's remember, normalization, the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Arab states and Israel, were a linchpin of the first Trump administration policy on this region of the Middle East.

And the trophy, as it were, for normalization would be an Abraham Accord or normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Now, that is not happening at the moment. The Saudis have taken a position whereby they say without a credible pathway to a Palestinian state, there will be no normalization with Israel.

Donald Trump addressed that issue yesterday. He said it would be his dream that Saudi Arabia normalized relations with Israel, but said he would leave that, and I paraphrase him here, to their own timing, to their own sort of playbook.

And so I think we had expected that normalization would be off the table on this trip. Certainly, that is the perspective that we've got from the Riyadh leg of this trip. We now wait to hear from him in Riyadh and then here later on today.

And just a reminder that Doha plays a key mediation role across a myriad of files. Hamas, of course, mediating with Hamas and Israel on the Gaza file, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia on U.S. and Iran, on the DRC and Rwanda, the recent ceasefire mediated there. So this is a country who puts mediation as a key pillar for its foreign policy, described by one of our colleagues in a very good article for CNN today, Stephen Collinson, as a sort of mini-U.N. when it comes to its power in mediation.

And this is a very important country for Donald Trump and the U.S. administration in sort of pulling levers on files that it really needs some action on. Donald Trump has said he wants to see the end to forever wars. He wants to be seen as a peacemaker.

[03:14:59]

And certainly he has an opportunity, should he take it, across a myriad of files when he is here in this region, and very specifically when he gets to Doha later on, to see just where the administration might take its foreign policy for the Middle East next. Rosie?

CHURCH: All right, Becky, we will be back with you to talk with you in just a moment.

We are, of course, awaiting Donald Trump's address to the Gulf Cooperation Council, that will come any minute now in Riyadh. Our coverage continues in just a moment after a short break, stay with us.

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CHURCH: A relatively new leader of Hamas in Gaza appears to have been the target of an assassination attempt by Israel. Sources tell CNN Israel believe Mohamed Sinwar was in an underground command and control bunker at a hospital in southern Gaza.

At least six Palestinians were killed in the strike. No word on the fate of Sinwar. Our Jeremy Diamond has the latest from Tel Aviv. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Israel, on Tuesday evening, tried to kill Hamas' leader in Gaza. I'm told that Mohamed Sinwar was indeed the target of an Israeli airstrike on the European Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. That's according to a senior Israeli official and two sources familiar with the matter.

The Israeli military has yet to officially confirm that Sinwar was indeed the target of the strike, and they have also yet to confirm whether or not he was actually killed.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least six people were killed, though, in this strike and more than 40 others injured. Many more are still believed to be buried under the rubble, with one doctor at the European Hospital describing a catastrophic situation there. The strike hit the hospital's courtyard, according to that hospital official.

Now, the Israeli military is accusing Hamas of having a command and control center beneath that hospital, where sources say Mohamed Sinwar was believed to be hiding. Mohamed Sinwar was elevated to the position of de facto leader of Hamas in Gaza following the Israeli military's killing of his brother, the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, back in October.

But this strike, the timing of it is incredibly notable. Coming just one day after Hamas, in what's widely been described as a goodwill gesture, released the last living American hostage in Gaza, the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander. And following Edan Alexander's release, which was intended to kind of jumpstart these hostage deal and ceasefire negotiations, U.S. officials have been sounding much more optimistic about the prospects of a deal.

But now Israel has targeted the man who would have to greenlight this deal inside of the Gaza Strip, raising a series of questions about the feasibility of reaching a deal in the coming days and questions about Israel's commitment to this negotiating process, even as they sent a delegation earlier on Tuesday to Qatar to pursue these negotiations.

And time is very much ticking down. The Israeli Prime Minister on Tuesday making very clear that he intends to move forward with plans for the Israeli military to vastly expand its military operations in Gaza as soon as next week.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Israeli strikes in northern Gaza killed at least 56 people overnight, that is according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The majority of those killed were women and children from the Jabalia refugee camp. A nurse at one of the hospitals receiving the bodies told CNN.

And we go live now to Paula Hancocks, who's in Abu Dhabi. So Paula, what more can you tell us?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we have footage of the hospital itself and we can see body bags lined along the hallways, also on the floor of the morgue.

And as you say, one of the doctors at the Indonesian Hospital said that at least 50 bodies came in. They were largely women and children. And she said that they were targeted at the Jabalia refugee camp.

Now this is an area in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. And it's an area that the IDF had warned less than an hour earlier was going to be targeted.

It's uncertain as it was around about midnight. So if those warnings got to many people in the area though. So we know that these strikes are continuing at a time when Israel says it is going to increase its military activity in Gaza.

And of course, as we just heard at the same time, as we understand that they are still targeting senior Hamas leadership, for example, Mohamed Sinwar. But we are seeing once again that women and children are bearing the brunt of the continued aggression and military activity that is happening in Gaza.

From the Islamic Jihad point aside, we know that the militants did fire three missiles into Israel on the same day. We understand from the IDF they intercepted two. One fell in an open area.

But the fact that 19 months after this war started, after those October 7th attacks in Israel, that the militants are still able to fire these missiles is certainly significant.

[03:25:09]

And one of the reasons Israel says that it has to continue with this military activity.

But we are continuing to see a dire humanitarian situation. A U.N.- backed report saying that one in five people in Gaza currently face starvation. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi with that live report. Many thanks.

And we'll be right back.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check today's top stories for you.

U.S. President Donald Trump is about to address a session of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It's part of the first international trip of his second term. This will be the last big event on his schedule in the Saudi capital before he then departs for Doha, Qatar.

Ahead of the summit, Donald Trump has been meeting informally with the new President of Syria. And this comes one day after the U.S. president announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria in a major change in U.S. foreign policy. Those sanctions were imposed during the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December.

President Trump is also vowing Iran will never become a nuclear power. Talks between the U.S. and Iran have been slow going in recent weeks, with Tehran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions being the main sticking points. President Trump says he wants Iran to prosper, but has threatened military strikes on nuclear sites if Tehran fails to make a deal.

Well Israel's Prime Minister spoke by phone with Edan Alexander, the Israeli-American hostage who was released by Hamas on Monday. Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a video of the phone call. The Prime Minister said he was overjoyed to welcome the 21-year-old back to Israel.

Also on the call, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who praised Netanyahu's efforts to secure Alexander's release. Edan Alexander was the last known living American hostage in Gaza. He was freed after days of talks between Hamas and the United States, bypassing Israel.

And families of hostages in Gaza are continuing to advocate for their loved ones' release and are calling on the U.S. to intervene. A small delegation of relatives of hostages are planning to meet with President Donald Trump in Qatar.

So we go now to Becky Anderson, who is live in Doha. Becky?

ANDERSON: And that is very likely at this point, those hostage families will be meeting with Donald Trump here in Qatar. That is where we are, of course.

And joining me now is Gal Bilboa-Dalal, whose brother Guy was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival back on October the 7th. And Gal, thank you for joining us.

As we talk today, Edan Alexander is free. Benjamin Netanyahu being praised by Steve Witkoff, the U.S. envoy, for helping mediate that, although reports suggest that that was very much an effort coordinated by the United States themselves. So let's -- before we talk about your brother, just get your response to the release of Edan Alexander and the efforts being made by Qatar, by Egypt and by the U.S. to try and effort the release of these hostages.

GAL BILBOA-DALAL, BROTHER KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: So first of all, hi, and thank you for having me. I think that the release of Edan Alexander is emphasizing how important it is to the United States to intervene and help us in the negotiation, to put pressure on all sides at the negotiation table. And I think that the only man who will really have the power to have

this kind of influence on the release of the hostages and the end of this war is President Trump. And President Trump, with United States support, they can make a difference. And they prove it right now.

You saw Edan Alexander return home to his parents. You know, for us, the families of the hostages, it's very complicated feelings, because in one hand, we are very happy for it.

We know Edan's family. We are so happy for them to reunite with their son and for Edan to return home. We waited for him so long.

[03:35:05]

And yet, you know, it's another hostage that returned, which is not my brother. And we know that my brother, he's suffering from such worse conditions. And it's break our hearts to see hostages return and not all the hostages. And all the hostages need to return home.

ANDERSON: So let me -- let's talk about Guy. Tell me about him.

BILBOA-DALAL: So Guy was kidnapped when he was 22 from the Nova festival. And a few days ago, on Saturday, he turned 24. He celebrated his second birthday in captivity.

For us, you know, it was so hard. None of us thought it would take a whole year since the last birthday. And Guy will be still there.

And my brother is my best friend. We go to the same concerts together. We see the same movies.

Guy taught himself how to speak, read and write Japanese just before he was kidnapped, because he already had a ticket to Japan. He wanted to explore Japan and he wanted to do it by himself.

And that's why he learned Japanese. He fell in love with the Japanese culture and his dream was to go to see the Sakura season and the cherry blossom.

ANDERSON: Well, as I understand it, as I understand it, you were with him at the Nova music festival on October the 7th. You're his big brother. Just tell me, just remind us what happened that day and how you escaped.

BILBOA-DALAL: I arrived to the festival pretty early in the morning. Guy, it was for him, it was the first festival ever, and he wanted me to join him and his friends.

Guy was there with his two best friends and with his three best friends. One of them is Eviatar David, who was kidnapped with him. You could see Guy and Eviatar in the last video that Hamas published two months ago.

You can see them in a car, forced to watch their friends being released, and then they were taken back to the tunnels. That was the first time they saw daylight in 10 months. Guy and Eviatar were both kidnapped, but at the beginning we were all together.

So when the rocket started and the alarms went off, we decided that we should leave as soon as we can, and we decided that we will all go to my apartment. So before I left, I asked Guy if he wanted to join me in my car because he's going to go to my place, and he told me that he doesn't want his friends to feel like he left them, so he's going to go back with them and they will meet me at home. That was the last time I saw my brother.

I was fleeing, running and hiding for 10 hours at the era of the festival until I was rescued. I couldn't go back to him, I couldn't find him, he didn't answer me, and only once I was released, which was, as I said, 10 hours after the attack already started, I learned that Hamas published the hostage video of my brother three hours before I was released, which means my family, my friends, everyone knew that my brother was kidnapped three hours before I was rescued, but none of them told me so I can focus on saving my own life ever since I do everything I can to bring back the hostages and end this war.

ANDERSON: Yes, Gal, I want to give you an opportunity to speak very directly to the U.S. President, to his team, and indeed to the Israeli Prime Minister. What is your message?

BILBOA-DALAL: So my message is that, first of all, I want to thank you for everything you're doing. We can see results from the moment you start your role as the new United States President, and we need you to stay focused.

We need you to do everything you can. We know that you are the only one that can really bring the hostages and bring peace to the Middle East, and I know that you know for sure that we as a nation, we can never start the healing process that we need so much.

All the Middle East needs so much without getting back the hostages. They are the key to having this real peace, a real chance for peace. None of us can ever stop fighting until they're all alone, and you know, we wish it was October 6th again, but it's not.

We need your help to bring them back and end this war.

ANDERSON: Is the Israeli government, very specifically the Prime Minister, doing enough to your mind?

BILBOA-DALAL: There are so many voices regarding it. Since I'm not a politician, I'm not going to give you a really, how do you say, the answer that you're looking for, but I do believe that when Witkoff -- Steve Witkoff, and when President Trump is speaking about the negotiation and about Israel and about Hamas, they're always saying that the one who's making this deal is not helping to complete this deal is Hamas.

[03:40:03]

They're always saying that Israel do what they can to defend themselves and to make sure the peace will last. You know, it's one thing to ask for a ceasefire, but do you really want to have a ceasefire and leave the terrorists of Hamas in control of the area of Gaza, in control of their own civilians, keep brutally murdering them, forcing them to become terrorists themselves, taking the kids and teaching them to hate, to kill, and to praise death since they were born.

You don't want it. You want to have a real chance of peace. You want to give them a real chance of peace.

And President Trump understands that. And in order to make sure that peace will last, and it won't be just a ceasefire that will explode in all our faces again, we need to make sure that these people and we are getting a real chance to have a real life.

And that will only happen after you will make sure that this terror organization won't keep in control in Gaza. And I think that's the most complicated thing in this negotiation.

Other sides understand it, but they can't get to agreement. And for me, it's easy. I mean, we call for peace.

ANDERSON: Gal, it's good to have you on. Your brother's been in captivity for 19 months, had two birthdays while he has been held hostage. We wish you and your family and, of course, Guy, all the best.

I'm going to leave it there and we will continue to cover what is going on in region in the effort to provide some peace and stability. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

BILBOA-DALAL: Thank you so much.

ANDERSON: Well, Rosemary, President Trump, as I understand it, just some moments ago was still meeting with the Syrian President al-Shara, according to a senior source that I have spoken to. That is going on in Riyadh, of course. He will then attend the U.S. Gulf Summit.

We need to be very mindful that this is a president who is very much throwing the cards in the air, it seems, when it comes to his Middle East policy. Is he turning a page? Well, that is something that we will continue to report on as we await to hear him once again today in Riyadh and then here in Doha later on today. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to you, Becky. I appreciate it.

Well, Ukraine's president is challenging Vladimir Putin to follow through on his offer of direct peace talks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will travel to Turkey on Thursday to speak personally with Russia's president and only him, not his envoys.

When asked about the goals of a possible meeting, President Zelensyy said anything other than a ceasefire agreement would render the talks a failure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: If Putin will not come or if ceasefire will not be supported by Russians, by Putin, exactly by him. So it's been only one thing that Russia is not ready for any kind of negotiation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Over the weekend, President Putin had suggested the first direct talk since his full scale invasion of Ukraine. But the Kremlin has refused to confirm whether he or anyone else would attend a meeting in Turkey.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Salma. So what more are you learning about these peace talks in Turkey and whether Russia has any intention of attending?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it's very clear that President Zelenskyy and his administration are trying to raise the stakes here and put President Putin's feet to the fire. As you mentioned, so far, we have no confirmation from Kremlin officials as to who will attend these talks that are only a day away now taking place Thursday in Turkey, although it is President Putin himself who proposed these direct talks.

Why did he do it? Well, that's because there was a 30-day ceasefire ultimatum put on the table, backed by the U.S. and proposed by European allies. In response to that demand for a 30-day ceasefire, Putin essentially pushed it to the side and brought up this carrot of direct negotiations and, again, has at this time not confirmed whether or not he will go and be there himself.

Now, President Trump has said he's willing to go to Turkey at times, saying that he could be there if it helps. American officials seem to be prepping for a potentially significant meeting in Turkey, with President Trump saying that some good can come out of it.

But President Zelenskyy and his counterparts seem much more cautious. European diplomats think that this will simply fizzle, that there might not be much coming out of it. President Zelenskyy also fears that President Putin would simply send some of his envoys with nothing concrete.

[03:45:07]

And that's, again, why you hear him saying, I want to see President Putin there. And the only thing I am willing to discuss is a ceasefire, is peace negotiations. So you're at this extraordinary juncture, Rosemary, where you could potentially see President Putin, President Zelenskyy, President Trump all together in Turkey, or you might see nothing much at all.

CHURCH: All right. Out thanks to Salma Abdelaziz bringing us that live report from London. I appreciate it.

Well, back on the stand, a key witness in the trial of music mogul Sean Diddy Combs gets ready to resume her explosive testimony. We will have the details after a short break.

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[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: The trade deal between the U.S. and China is now in effect, with both sides temporarily slashing their mutual tariffs. The U.S. President told Fox News it's possible he might get personally involved in negotiations over a longer term deal with China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST, "HANNITY": Do you foresee yourself dealing directly with President Xi on the final details of this deal?

TRUMP: Yes, I could see that. I mean, I'm not sure that would be necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Both countries agreed to lower tariffs by 115 percentage points for 90 days following marathon talks in Geneva over the weekend. Not long after the trade deal was announced, Chinese leader Xi Jinping took a veiled swipe at the U.S. While speaking at an economic summit in Beijing, he warned bullying will only backfire.

The ex-girlfriend of Sean Diddy Combs is expected to continue testifying today in his racketeering and sex trafficking trial in New York. Cassie Ventura gave emotional testimony for the prosecution on Tuesday. Accusing the music mogul of physical and emotional abuse, as well as using violence, drugs and other forms of intimidation to coerce her into group sex parties that he called freak-offs.

Ventura also testified that Combs beat and kicked her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 when she tried to leave a freak-off before it was over. That surveillance video was shown to the jury. Here's what Ventura's attorney had to say about her testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: How do you feel today?

DOUGLAS WIGDOR, ATTORNEY FOR CASSIE VENTURA: It's not for me to decide how we feel. It's up to the jury. But we're very confident.

REPORTER: How's Cassie doing after it all? How is she feeling? I know it must have been a lot to kind of recount all the experiences.

WIGDOR: It was a long day. I'm just super proud of her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Defense attorneys acknowledge that Combs has been violent with romantic partners, but they argue the women consented to the sexual arrangements, also arguing that domestic violence doesn't mean he committed racketeering or sex trafficking.

Reality T.V. star Kim Kardashian told a Paris court she thought she would be killed when she was robbed at gunpoint in 2016. The billionaire testified on Tuesday in the trial against 10 of her alleged attackers, accused of stealing nearly $10 million in cash and jewelry.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more on what happened in court.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SR. PRODUCER: It was a long and emotional day for Kim Kardashian, who testified for almost five hours. Most of that she did standing and it was only at the end when she was visibly drained that she asked to sit down.

Kardashian broke down several times during her testimony as she recounted the details of that night nine years ago. Kardashian said she believed she would be raped. She believed she would be killed.

She also described a very violent heist, saying that she was handcuffed. She was duct taped and placed in the bath inside that courtroom with her. She was facing the 10 people on trial, nine men and one woman, nicknamed here the Grandpa Gang, as most of them are over 60.

The alleged mastermind, Omar Ait Kardash, had his letter read out in court by the judge, where he apologized. Kardash has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and armed robbery.

And Kim Kardashian responded to that letter, saying that she forgave him. Take a listen.

She said, "I believe so much in second chances, and I meet people who have done horrible crimes and I try to have empathy for them. But I do also fight for victims who have been through horrific crimes."

So two of the defendants are pleading guilty to some of the charges, but the remaining eight say that they had no part in the heist whatsoever. We expect a verdict on May 23rd.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Major League Baseball has reinstated two legendary players. Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose had been banned for decades for gambling on the game. Now the league says those punishments should end once a player has died. So the bans are lifted and both are eligible for Baseball's Hall of Fame.

[03:55:00]

Rose, the league's all-time hits leader, confessed to betting on every Cincinnati Reds game when he was the team's manager. Shoeless Joe was one of eight Chicago White Sox players accused of conspiring with gamblers to lose the 1919 World Series.

Now he maintained his innocence and was acquitted. He was later immortalized in the movie "Field of Dreams."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN COSTNER, PLAYED RAY KINSELLA IN "FIELD OF DREAMS": What are you grinning at, you ghost?

RAY LIOTTA, PLAYED SHOELESS JOE JACKSON IN "FIELD OF DREAMS": If you build it, he will come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day.

"CNN Newsroom" continues next with Rahel Solomon after a short break.

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